Mobile-First Forms

Part of the Practical Frontend section of Coddy's HTML journey — lesson 10 of 35.

Forms are one of the most important parts of the web — users type, tap, and interact with them constantly. When designing forms for mobile first, we focus on usability on small screens:

Make inputs and buttons bigger so users can easily type and tap.
Stack fields vertically and use full-width inputs.
Add padding and spacing for fingers.

Example for mobile:

input, button {
  width: 100%;       /* full width for small screens */
  padding: 0.75rem;  /* easier to tap */
  font-size: 1rem;   /* readable text */
}

Then, for larger screens (tablet or desktop), we enhance the layout:

Center the form on the page.
Place some fields side by side instead of stacking.
Adjust widths and spacing for better appearance.

Example for larger screens:

@media (min-width: 768px) {
  form {
    max-width: 500px;  /* center and limit width */
    margin: 0 auto;
  }

  .row {
    display: flex;
    gap: 1rem;         /* side-by-side inputs */
  }
}

Challenge

Easy

You are given a basic HTML form. Your task is to set mobile-first styles:

The elements inside the form should be stacked vertically. Use display: flex and flex-direction: column, and add some gap so it looks nice.
Apply width: 100% and add some padding to the input, button, and textarea elements so they are large enough for mobile screens and easy for users to tap.

Try it yourself

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>Mobile-First Forms</title>
  <style>
    body {
      font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
      padding: 1rem;
      background-color: #f0f4f8;
    }

    form {
      
    }

    input, textarea, button {
      padding: 0.75rem;    
      font-size: 1rem;
      border: 1px solid #ccc;
      border-radius: 5px;
    }

    button {
      background-color: #4a90e2;
      color: white;
      border: none;
      cursor: pointer;
    }

    /* Larger screens */
    @media (min-width: 768px) {
      form {
        max-width: 600px;
        margin: 0 auto; /* center form */
      }

      .row {
        display: flex;
        gap: 1rem; /* side-by-side fields */
      }

      .row input {
        width: 100%; /* split space equally */
      }
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
   <h1>Contact Us</h1>
  <form>
    <div class="row">
      <input type="text" placeholder="Name" required>
      <input type="email" placeholder="Email" required>
    </div>
    <textarea placeholder="Your Message" rows="4" required></textarea>
    <button type="submit">Send</button>
  </form>
</body>
</html>